Learn Japanese from a song! (トイレの神様 =Toire no kamisama = Goddess in the toilet)

Hello, everyone! I have just posted ありがとう ( = arigatou) Thank you, lesson. It is kind of related to the subject but I would like to teach you a Japanese song today. It is called 「トイレの神様」 ( = Toire no kamisama) “Goddess in the toilet” And it is getting popular!

This song is sung by 植村花菜, ( = Kana Uemura). Her real relationship with her grandma — who she lived with from the ages of 9 and 15 inspired her to write the lyrics.

It’s a 10 minute-song and it is nothing like J-pop bands like Exile, 嵐 ( = Arashi), or 浜崎あゆみ ( = Hamazaki Ayumi) would sing but many people say they cried listening to this song because it hit something deep inside our hearts. Many of us identify with her experiences, and I myself miss my grandma a lot while listening to this song.

So if you feel something while listening to the lyrics of this song, then you can take that as evidence that your Japanese has really improved!

23 Comments

Maggie san, thank you so much for the lyrics and the excellent explanation. I was looking for this song just after I saw the movie (filmed in 2011) and it made me cry.
What a great song and a great movie as well!

I have a question about verse 22. One can’t tell in English if her grandmother told her to go home because she was upset or for another reason. Does the original give any hints as to why obachaan told Kana to go home?

No, neither original (Japanese) verse doesn’t say the reason. You have to read between the lines.
Obaacgab is not upset. We can tell it is her omoiyari (she cares about her grandchild.)
Of course, obaachan wants her to stay but probably she doesn’t want her grandchild to see her getting weaker or make her feel sad or worry. Actually that is the saddest line in this song.

@Keekii
Isn’t it great??? I love this song. I think she has just released a new song recently. But this one is my favorite!! Will make a lesson if I find an interesting song to learn Japanese again!
♫♪

There’s something that is worrying me profoundly as a translator. You have shown us that 別嬪 is an old-fashioned word. I’ve looked up that word in my monolingual and bilingual dictionaries and couldn’t find any reference to it being old-fashioned. How can I know when a word is colloquial/old-fashioned/vulgar when I look it up in the dictionary? Is there any dictionary with this sort of indications (monolingual or bilingual)? It would be very useful.

I don’t want to pester Japanese friends every time I have to find out.

Good question. If it is a very old word, some Japanese dictionaries (for example 広辞苑) indicate it as < 文語> and if it is a colloquial word, it says < 口語>, and if it is a vulgar word, it says < 卑語>.
But you can also use “Google” and check the number of hits and how people use the word and you can judge yourself.

Dear How are you.
I d liek ask you to fix on your web page the
google blogger. (share it) becouse have more many outhers way to the people copy and send to friends or outhers blog…
ll be great .. very nice help for the people and hope some outhers brasilian enjoy visit your site :
have you CD translated to romanji ?

how to find out?
Real a great job. God Bless you
thanks a lot see you…..